THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN QI GONG AND NEI GONG

Many people these days will have heard of Qi Gong (氣功 ) but fewer will have heard the term Nei Gong (內功 ). A simple translation of Nei Gong would be ‘internal skill’, but this is an overly simplistic view of what is involved in Nei Gong training. A more complete definition of the term might be ‘the process by which a person may condition their physical body, cultivate their internal universe and elevate their consciousness’.

If Qi Gong exercises are ‘tools’ – exercises with a defined goal – Nei Gong is the internal process inherent within Daoism if people choose to immerse themselves fully in the practice. Nei Gong is the energetic basis for the ‘path’ of Dao. Travel along this path is accomplished through the use of various vehicles including standing practices, moving exercises and sitting meditation.

Nei Gong teachings were classically held back from the general public and remained hidden long after Qi Gong became widely known. It was considered a higher-level practice because it effectively serves as a bridge between pure, energy-based practices and the alchemical meditation systems of the Daoists. It is worth noting here that teachers may use terms in different ways. Some may say they are teaching Qi Gong when in fact, by this definition, they are actually teaching Nei Gong and vice versa. One of the first important things you must ascertain when meeting a new teacher is how exactly they define certain terms because there is a great deal of variation from lineage to lineage.

The key process of development in Nei Gong training begins with working initially with the physical body, which provides the foundation necessary for moving towards working with the energy body. Once there has been a considerable amount of work with the energetic system, then direct work takes place with the consciousness. Classically, this was termed as working with the three treasures of Jing (精 ), Qi (氣 ) and Shen (神 )...

At each stage a solid foundation must be built in order to guarantee smooth and systematic progression towards increasingly higher states of development. Although this underlying theory is the same for both male and female practitioners of Nei Gong, it is important to understand the unique nature of these substances within both genders.”